News

Eight-lane highway collapses in China, killing 8

Eight people died and three were still missing yesterday after a 30-metre section of road collapsed near a subway construction site in southern China on Wednesday evening (7 February).

Nine more people were injured in the incident in downtown Foshan, Guangdong province, which happened at around 8.40pm.

State television said the collapse of the eight-lane road was caused by water rushing in from leaking pipes that compromised a tunnel being built underneath it, reports South China Morning Post.

The cave-in happened as workers raced to stem the flood of water.

The collapse left a six-metre-deep hole as big as two basketball courts in area, the television report said.

The city of Foshan is in China’s industrial heartland of Guangdong, close to the financial hub of Hong Kong.

The subway line under construction runs for 23km through the city north of the provincial capital Guangzhou.

The Post commented that rapid expansion of subway networks in China has led to numerous cave-ins and other deadly accidents.

Image: Aerial view of road collapse in Foshan, China taken on 8 February 2018. (AFP/Getty Images)

Story for GCR? Get in touch via email: [email protected]

Latest articles in News